Bible Commentaries
John 19

Verses 1-42

1-3 Compare Matthew 27:24-31; Mark 15:15-20.

1 The Roman soldiers mock the Messianic hope of Israel by making Him a mimic monarch. The royal purple and the thorny wreath are accompanied by mocking adulation of His imaginary majesty. Some day that bleeding brow will wear its many diadems. But all the regal rank that these reveal will not endear Him to our hearts like the cruel wreath of thorns. It is the symbol of a power and a glory that compels a willing homage and an adoring loyalty.

7 It appears on the surface, that Pilate's question, when he heard that the Lord claimed to be the Son of God, was ignored. Not so. Since the Lord was the Son of God it was far beneath His dignity to reply in words; His conduct was far more convincing. Pilate understood His silence far better than any words.

8 The magnificent bearing of Christ before Pilate is without a parallel in the annals of justice. He should have been afraid of the cruel and unscrupulous Roman minion, but it is Pilate who fears. And when the haughty Roman threatens Him He calmly tells him that there is a higher authority. What a triumphant trust in God sustained Him in all this terrific and heart rending ordeal! Can we not picture to ourselves the furious, bloodthirsty mob, keeping its distance for hypocritical fear of contamination, yet fouling the very atmosphere with their false and fiendish accusations; the disdainful governor, who has no wish to become involved in their religious controversies, arrogant, yet fearful, strong, yet weakly catering to their unjust demands; and the solitary, self-composed, lowly Man. He was meekly bowing to the will of God; they were ignorantly fulfilling the behest of Satan.

12 Pilate was submitting to what he deemed a political necessity. We must concede that he did all any Roman governor would have done under the circumstances. The Jews could easily have caused trouble at Rome if he should fail to deal summarily with one who was popularly hailed as apolitical opponent of Caesar.

14 The reading "third" (instead of the usual "sixth") is used on the evidence of the editor of Sinaiticus. Many ingenious explanations have been offered in order to harmonize the sixth hour in this passage with the third hour in Mark 15:25, but none of them are satisfactory. The darkness did not fall until the sixth hour, which is midday, but that came not only after His own crucifixion, and that of the malefactors, but also after the robbers had been impaled.

16-24 Compare Matthew 27:24-35; Mark 15:15-24; Luke 23:24-34.

17 Stoning was the mode prescribed by the law of Moses for the death penalty. It was a comparatively swift and painless death, as a single blow on the head would stun the victim into unconsciousness. The Roman cross or stake was far more painful and shameful. The victim was nailed to a single upright stake and left to die, a lingering and humiliating spectacle to all who beheld. The glamour with which religion seeks to surround the cross is false and misleading. Its only halo is dense darkness, its power weakness, its glory shame. The shamefulness of crucifixion is the fitting climax to the descent of Christ from the highest glory to the lowest humiliation. Even as He had been far above all, so now it was meet that He should come down to the lowest depths of degradation. It is this aspect of His death which is intended by the term "cross" or "pale." This registers, not the fact of His death, but the manner of it. This, in turn, throws a lurid light on the world that had so little respect for the One Who had the highest place in heaven. But, besides this, the cross is the place of the curse. It was necessary for the sinless One to become sin. It was needful for Him to forsake the place of the blessing for the place of the curse. " Accursed is everyone being hanged on a pole" was a portion of the law which He had never fulfilled. This form of death-crucifixion-robbed Him of His last refuge. God Himself became His enemy, and forsook Him.

23 As our Lord belonged to the lower class, He would doubtless dress accordingly. They wore only five articles of clothing, a long cotton shirt, a girdle, usually of leather or worsted, a turban, sandals; and a tunic over all made of goat's or camel's hair or worsted. The four soldiers could readily divide the first four among themselves, but the fifth, being specially made without a seam, was probably of more value than all the rest together. It would spoil it to divide it, so it was that they were compelled to cast lots and fulfill the Scriptures.

24 See Psalms 22:18.

25 Physical relationships are temporary, and will be superseded by spiritual ties. All lasting spiritual bonds are made at the foot of the cross.

28-30 Compare Matthew 27:45-51; Mark 15:33-36; Luke 23:46; see Psalms 22:15; Psalms 69:21.

28 Perhaps in no other circumstances could we realize the intense passion of Christ for the word of God. His work was accomplished. We may know a little of what He felt from the words of the Psalmist (Psalms 22:14-15).

I am poured out as water,

And all My bones are dissected.

My heart becomes as wax;

It Is melted In the midst of My bowels.

My vigor Is dry as earthenware,

And My tongue Is clinging to My jaws,

And on the soil of death,

Thou art setting Me as the hearth stones.

Death, at the hands of God,

not His enemies, was before Him.

Yet one passage of Scripture was not fulfilled. He had done His part, but men had not done theirs. The Psalmist had foretold

(Psalms 69:21):

And they put poison In My repast;

And for My thirst they cause Me to drink vinegar.

So He prompts them, and they fill the sponge and fulfill the passage. Truly, not one letter of the law shall fail till all is fulfilled! If He could drink that bitter draught in the moment of His greatest weakness and deepest despair, that the Scripture may be perfected, what will He do in the day of His power and glory? He will surely see that not a single line of the Scriptures will fail of fulfillment.

30 The death of Christ was not due to the failure of His faculties, or to exhaustion. It was a deliberate act of His will. After having accomplished the work the Father set for Him to do, there was no need of further suffering. So He laid down His soul of His own volition; He gave up His Spirit to God.

31 There were many sabbaths in Israel beside the weekly one. This sabbath was the first day of the festival of Unleavened bread (Leviticus 23:7). As it introduced the seven day festival when all leaven was excluded from their houses, it was considered afar greater day than a weekly sabbath. It may be that the Spirit of God is hinting also at its real greatness. Leaven is a type of sin. Now the great Sin Offering had been slain, and sin was indeed put away! It was the greatest day in the Jewish calendar.

32 The course of the narrative here clearly shows that there were four others crucified with Christ. There were two malefactors and two robbers. The soldiers crush the legs of two before they come to Christ, so there must have been two on each side. There were no "thieves". One of the malefactors believed on Him.

36 See Numbers 9:12; Exodus 12:46; Psalms 34:20.

36 With His supernatural vitality He would have remained alive long after the others, and suffered the breaking of His bones if He had not laid down His soul of Himself. It is remarkable that, in all this, there is a divine intelligence behind the ignorance of man. They marred His flesh but did not break His bones. They poured out His blood, but did not mutilate His form. So that, in resurrection, His body is composed of flesh and bones and has no blood. The soul of the flesh is in the blood, but the spirit needs no blood. The wanton hands of His enemies were used to transform His body to the new condition needed in resurrection!

37 See Zechariah 12:10.

38-42 Compare Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-54.

38 What a notable change the crucifixion makes in two of the secret disciples of our Lord! Joseph of Arimathea was afraid of the Jews, but now he has the courage to go to Pilate and he takes the body away before the eyes of those he once feared. Nicodemus, also, does not wait till dark to bring the spices for embalming the body. He comes forth in the light of day. It is the cross, the suffering and shame, the agony and the degradation, of the One Who had won their hearts which took their timidity away. And it is still the inspiration for brave deeds and noble acts free from the fear of man.

Compare Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-4; Luke 24:1.